Australian Banking Association (ABA)

The ABA welcomes the release of the Federal Government’s response to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services’ inquiry into financial abuse, released today. ABA CEO Simon Birmingham acknowledged the important work of the committee as well as the Government’s response and said banks were committed to protecting customers from the scourge of financial abuse.

Thank you, Chair, and thank you to the Committee for the opportunity to appear today. Australia’s banks are not approaching artificial intelligence as a distant prospect. It is already at work in our industry, every hour of every day. It is checking payments in real time, answering customer questions at two in the morning, helping staff recognise a customer in financial stress during a live call, and stopping money reaching criminals before it leaves an account.

Skip to main content Home News & ResourcesABA CEO interview with ABC Melbourne’s Charlie Pickering on regional banking E&OE Radio Interview Interview ABC Melbourne 8 October 2026 Topics: Regional banking Charlie Pickering: We’ve seen so many of them closed, and you know it’s funny. Sometimes you don’t even realise the branch is gone until you really need it, and you go down there and it’s not there. So many of them have closed down, particularly in our regional areas. Give me a call: 1300 222 774.

Skip to main content Home News & ResourcesABA CEO interview with ABC SA Regional Drive’s Narelle Graham on regional banking E&OE Radio Interview Interview ABC SA Regional Drive 8 October 2026 Topics: Regional banking Narelle Graham: Apparently, our major banks are keen to open some multi-bank hubs in regional areas that don’t currently have a branch. They’ve asked the ACCC if they can work together on joint infrastructure and not breach competition and antitrust laws.

E&OE Radio Interview Interview ABC Illawarra 8 October 2026 Topics: Regional banking; Card Surcharging ban Stefan Posthuma: You might have heard that the Commonwealth Bank has announced it’s closing its Albion Park branch next month. That’s despite its recent commitment to not close any regional branches until 2030.

Skip to main content Home News & ResourcesABA CEO interview with ABC Adelaide’s Nikolai Beilharz on regional banking E&OE Radio Interview Interview ABC Adelaide 8 October 2026 Topics: Regional banking Nikolai Beilharz: We know bank branches have been closing down, especially in regional areas of South Australia and Australia more broadly, including a number of places that have no local banking representation anymore.

Skip to main content Home News & ResourcesABA CEO doorstop with 9 News on regional banking E&OE Doorstop 9 News 8 October 2026 Topics: Credit card surcharging ban Journalist: The Greens say that to solve this issue, the banks should be paying the credit card surcharge. What’s your response to that? Simon Birmingham: Having a safe, modern, secure payment system does come with huge costs, but banks are already cutting payment fees by around $900 million under these changes.

Skip to main content Home News & ResourcesABA CEO interview with 2GB’s Michael McLaren on regional banking E&OE Radio Interview Interview on 2GB 8 October 2026 Topics: Regional banking Michael McLaren: You may have seen the story today, the Australian Banking Association has put forward an idea to address the declining presence of our top banks in rural Australia. In fact, regional bank branch numbers have declined by 38 per cent since 2017. So, there is a real issue here of presence.

Skip to main content Home News & ResourcesABA CEO interview with Win News’ Bonnie Collings on regional banking E&OE TV Interview Interview on Win News 8 October 2026 Topics: Regional banking Bonnie Collings: Can you give a bit of an overview of what the ABA have put forward to the ACCC? Simon Birmingham: We’re asking the ACCC to allow banks to cooperate on three things.

Skip to main content Home News & ResourcesABA CEO interview with ABC News Radio’s Sarah Morris on regional banking E&OE Radio Interview Interview on ABC News Radio 8 October 2026 Topics: Regional banking Sarah Morris: Australia’s banks are seeking permission to team up in the bush. The Australian Banking Association has asked the competition watchdog for an exemption from competition law, so that several banks can share a single physical branch in regional towns.